Dialogue

Ms. Leom was ready to tackle quotation marks today. She invited Mr. Greninger's class into the room, so she could teach the lesson to both groups at the same time.

Writing a dialogue with quotation marks can be a challenging "language" for fourth graders to learn.

Then it was time to practice. She sent Mr. Greninger's class to find a Leom partner and try using quotation marks. Fourth graders LOVE to talk, so here was their opportunity to talk to their hearts content, in class, about whatever they wanted to talk about - without saying a single word! 

As students dialogues, Ms. Leom walked around the room and offered suggestions ... The quotation marks surround the words that people say (not who said it) ... or, each speaker is special and important! They get to start on a new line and indent when it is their turn to speak ... but on the second line of their speaking, you begin writing all the way to the left margin ... Another, each of you speakers are important, be sure to identify who is talking, "said Ms. Leom."

This activity and learning how to use quotation marks takes patience and many opportunities to develop the skills. Students can read conversations and appreciate it in the texts that they read, but to apply it, each student needs opportunities. 

Just the beginning of our using quotations dialogue ...